Review: Fortune’s Pawn

Fortune’s Pawn is a solid space opera that features a young and ambitious mercenary who signs on with a ship with the prescient name of The Glorious Fool. Deviana Morris quit the infamous Blackbirds mercenary band in order to pursue her eventual ambition to become one of her home world’s finest armored warriors, the King’s Devastators — and Devi discovers that a successful year upon the Fool can translate a successful entry into the Devastators. However, once Devi is on-board the Fool, she realizes that nearly every member of the ship has significant — and dangerous — secrets to hide.

I love a good space opera. The sheer escapism in this genre has always captured my imagination. Many of the operas I read have borrowed heavily from the themes associated with the Western genre, such as the lone lawman striving to do good, despite his / her own moral failings. Or space as the hostile and inhospitable backdrop against which the depravity of men (and aliens) are showcased. Or a simple old-fashioned revenge story. The author, Rachel Bach, has certainly conveyed these elements in this first novel of her trilogy. I enjoyed it so much that I plan to read the second two in this trilogy.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Deviana’s exploits, I did at times wish for a bit more inner conflict to develop her into a more nuanced character. Deviana is a mercenary heroine with speed, strength, experience, resilience, and smarts. In essence, she is a badass. If you like this character type, you certainly won’t lack for it in Fortune’s Pawn. However, in the post-Buffy era, tough female heroes who kick butt and save everyone is almost passe. Perhaps I’m selfish, but I’d like a little more of Deviana.

Excitement Level: Three and a half stars.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. I checked this book out from the local library, and reviewed it on my own.